Confidence
by Hidge
Summary: Oneshot set after 1x20 - "Charm & Harm". Spencer Reid has struggled with self-confidence his entire life. Will a trip home to Vegas, a high school reunion, and a friend help him find it? Please R&R!


**A/N: So basically I really missed writing Criminal Minds and then this idea came to me so I couldn't not write it. Lol. I hope that you guys enjoy it and that I'm not rusty or anything haha. :)**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

It was a typical pre-briefing morning in the BAU. Gideon sat in his office reading while JJ talked with Hotch in his office. In the bullpen, Morgan and Elle were bantering back and forth while Reid listened intently.

"So how's the boyfriend doing today?" Morgan asked teasingly. He was determined to discover if he was right about his inkling that his friend and co-worker was in a relationship. But even during their road trip for the Mark Gregory case, she hadn't given him an inch.

"Oh he's great," Elle played along as she continued to type on her computer.

"Yeah I bet he is," Morgan chuckled. "Are you guys having sleepovers?"

She quickly swivelled her chair around. "And that's your business...how?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Morgan chuckled again; he had never met anyone feistier in his life. "I wanna figure out what kind of guy Elle Greenaway dates."

"The non-existent kind," she scoffed.

He coughed, "Liar."

Elle laughed in exasperation. "Let it go Derek."

"You two argue like brother and sister," Reid commented as he flicked through the mail that he had picked up on his way to work. It was all junk mail except for one letter that left him feeling like he had just gotten punched in the stomach. It was a letter from his high school, inviting him to his twelve year reunion.

"Are you okay Reid?" Morgan asked curiously. His younger co-worker had turned a ghostly shade of white.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He cleared his throat awkwardly before he set the letter down on his desk and headed towards the small kitchen.

Morgan exchanged a confused look with Elle before he pushed himself out of his chair and followed Reid. "What's up man?"

As Reid poured himself his second cup of coffee of the morning he asked, "Do you go to your high school reunions?"

"Uh yeah, why?"

"I was in training for the ten year reunion so I had a legitimate excuse but it's this weekend which we have off so I don't have a reason not to go and…"

"Wait kid," Morgan interrupted his ramble. "You're freaking out because you got an invite to your high school reunion?"

Reid nodded in embarrassment. "I was a loser in high school. It was a terrible experience," he confessed.

"And now you're a triple PhD who works for the FBI," Morgan answered as he clapped Reid on the shoulder.

"The invitation is for Spencer Reid and guest," he mumbled.

The real reason for Reid's discomfort dawned on Morgan. "Ah, you're worried about not having a date." Reid nodded again. "Then take a friend. Take a hot friend," he suggested with a laugh.

"Who?" Reid guffawed. "I don't exactly have much of a life outside the BAU."

Morgan pondered the question himself for a moment before his eyes landed on Elle who was working away at her desk. "Ask Elle," he recommended.

"Elle?" Reid squeaked.

"She's intelligent, confident, and attractive, perfect reunion date." Reid nodded in agreement. "So go ask her," he encouraged. Reid picked up his cup of coffee and began to slowly walk back towards his desk. After a few steps he turned around and looked at Morgan pleadingly. "Go," he mouthed with a chuckle.

"Hey Elle," Reid greeted her awkwardly as he stood next to her desk.

She looked up at him curiously. "Hey."

"So," he bit down on his lip nervously. "What are your plans for our weekend off?"

"Nothing really, you?"

"I have a high school reunion," he answered as he swayed back and forth on his heels.

"Oh fun," she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, um, I was wondering if you would go with me."

He had spoken so fast that she wondered if she had misunderstood him. "Sorry?"

"Will you be my date to my high school reunion?"

She looked up into his face; flushed a deep shade of crimson with his large brown eyes practically begging her. Reid needed to use these tricks on all women because the way that he was looking at her right now made him virtually impossible to say no to. "Sure," she finally answered.

"Great," he smiled happily before he returned to his desk.

For the rest of the day, whenever Elle looked up from her paperwork she saw Reid smiling boyishly at her. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

* * *

Reid shifted in his seat; he wasn't used to the confined seating of a commercial airline jet. He and Elle were playing cards on their way to Las Vegas and he was sitting in the aisle seat. "You can have the window seat if you want," Elle offered.

He smiled, "No, I'm okay, and I'll take two please."

She smirked as she slid two cards towards him. "I'll stay."

"Hey Elle," Reid began cautiously as he meticulously arranged his cards.

"Yeah?" She responded without looking up from her hand.

"I, uh, I really appreciate you doing this for me but can I ask why you said yes?"

Now she looked up at him. "Well, I've never been to Vegas." She smiled and he chuckled shyly. "And I hated high school," she stated seriously. "And since I assume that this was Morgan's idea to take a 'hot date'," she used air quotes and Reid chuckled again, "and rub it in the faces of all the jocks and cheerleaders, then I'm in."

His eyes widened in surprise. "So you knew that Morgan suggested that I ask you?"

"Yeah, he's very easy to read," she grinned smugly.

"So, you hated high school too?" Reid asked quietly.

"Every minute of it," she answered honestly.

Reid leaned in close, out of interest and a need for privacy. "Why?" His curiosity was overwhelming and he felt guilty for stereotyping Elle as one of those people who looked back on high school with only happy, carefree memories.

She laid her cards face down on the pull-out table in front of her and made eye contact with Reid. "I looked _a lot_ different in high school. I had this terrible, short haircut," she laughed, "a really horrible pair of glasses and I was a lot heavier." She noticed Reid's eyes widen in surprise. "Is that so hard to believe?" She asked smiling.

"Yeah," he nodded repeatedly. "You look great." He quickly sat up straight in his seat as he felt a fierce blush spread across his cheeks.

"Thanks," she replied. He really was sweet and the blushing was endearing. "So this will be my first high school reunion too," she offered in an attempt to make him less uncomfortable.

"Cool," he smiled weakly.

She playfully ruffled his hair and his smile brightened. "We're going to have a great time."

* * *

Elle pushed open the door to the hotel room and laid her bag on the bed closest to the window. As she took in the scenic view of the famous Las Vegas strip she felt the need to stretch out the muscles in her shoulders after the cramped five hour flight. "This is nice," she said as she turned to Reid after casually inspecting the state of the room. Since Reid had insisted on paying for all of the expenses of the trip, she had suggested that they share a hotel room to cut down on the costs.

"Glad you like it," he smiled softly as he sat on the second bed in the room. "So what do you want to see in Vegas?" He asked nervously as he bounced on the edge of the bed.

She grinned, "What does Vegas have to offer aside from casinos?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "There's the distinct culture and architecture of the various hotels and," he laughed, "casinos." He watched Elle roll her eyes. "We could walk the strip?"

"Yeah, okay," she agreed. She grabbed Reid by the hand and pulled him out of the room.

As they walked down the hallway, Elle caught Reid glancing at their joined hands. "Does this make you uncomfortable?" She asked smiling.

He cleared his throat quickly. "Umm…no. It's fine."

"So how do you want to play this?" She asked as they both stepped into the elevator.

"What do you mean?" She had released his hand and he was now inspecting it curiously. He had never held hands with a woman.

"What do you plan on introducing me as? Friend? Co-worker? Girlfriend? Hired prostitute?" She asked laughing.

"Definitely not the last one," he muttered awkwardly. "I planned on introducing you as my date. People can think what they want."

"Very assertive," she complimented.

He shrugged shyly as he confessed, "I'm trying to be less passive and more self-confident."

"Excellent," she smiled. The elevator doors slid open and this time she grabbed both of his hands and pulled him into the hotel lobby. She led him towards the exit as she said, "Time to educate me on Las Vegas, Dr. Reid."

* * *

They returned to their hotel room after walking the Las Vegas strip, where Reid had been a _very_ informed tour guide, and having dinner at the hotel's restaurant. "You really didn't have to pay for dinner, you know," she scolded.

"I know." He gave her a small shrug and a sweet smile.

"Your mother raised a gentleman," she complimented.

"Thanks," he smiled again. "I'll tell her you said that."

"Is she still in Vegas?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but she knows that I won't get a chance to visit her this weekend. I'm coming here for our two weeks vacation anyway so she understands." He told Elle a lot of things but he wasn't ready to disclose his real situation with his mother to any member of the team.

And Elle knew that Reid was sensitive when it came to his parents so she didn't speak any further on the topic. "I think that I'm going to turn in." She may have been approaching her one year mark with the BAU but she was still no closer to adjusting to jet lag. She gathered the things that she needed from her bag and headed for the bathroom.

When Elle emerged from the bathroom in her t-shirt and shorts she chuckled at the sight of Reid sitting on his bed with a book in his lap. He had changed into his pyjamas and turned out all of the lights except for the bedside lamp. She knew that unlike her, jet lag had practically zero effect on him. She pulled her bedcovers down and crawled into the bed.

"Elle?" Reid called her name softly.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" He inquired nervously.

"Go for it," she encouraged as she turned over so that she faced him. She propped her elbows up on the bed and rested her head in her hands. She was interested to hear what he wanted to ask her.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Is Morgan right? Do you have a boyfriend?" He elaborated.

She laughed and shook her head. "No, I don't. But he's just so convinced that it's better to humour him."

Reid chuckled. She was right; Morgan was very convinced that she had a boyfriend. "So that morning, when you made two calls?"

"My mother," she laughed. "She was freaking out when we had to go to Mexico and it was the first chance since then that I had to talk to her."

He laughed to himself, "And Morgan says that _I_ have a lot to learn."

"Just don't take advice from Morgan," Elle playfully warned.

"Okay," he smiled. "Goodnight Elle."

"Night Reid."

* * *

The next day Elle and Reid both took advantage of being able to sleep in and then ordered brunch from room service. After they had finished eating, Reid made a bold suggestion. "We could go down to the casino for a little while."

Elle raised an eyebrow at him. "I suck at gambling," she complained. "I'd rather keep my money."

"Its mathematics and statistics, come on, I'll show you." He smiled widely, statistics were his speciality and therefore he was a very productive gambler.

Elle sighed loudly; his eyes were playing tricks on her again. "Fine! But only for like an hour, then we have to come back up here so that we can get ready for your reunion."

"Okay," he nodded.

They ended up spending almost two and a half hours down in the hotel's casino. Elle found Reid's ability to rattle off the statistics of every possible play in every game of chance fascinating. She wouldn't be surprised to find out that he was secretly a millionaire with his talents. And she liked the confidence that he displayed at a card table. He looked like a high roller and it was very sexy.

* * *

"So should I call you Spencer tonight?" Elle called out from the bathroom.

"Yeah, that'd probably be better," he answered. He was already fully dressed and nervously sitting on his hotel bed. He had decided on a pair of black slacks and a brown, long sleeved, button-down shirt with white pinstripes, which he had tucked in. He had forgone a tie and sweater vest for this evening but he was still unsure of his wardrobe. He was waiting for Elle's opinion but it seemed as if she had been in the bathroom forever; he didn't realize it took women this long to get ready. "Are you almost done?" He chuckled nervously.

"Yeah," she laughed, "I'm pretty much ready." He heard a resounding 'click' before the bathroom door began to slowly open. "You look great," Elle complimented as she walked towards him. She liked how he looked casual while still wearing very nice clothes.

"No, you look great," he stated wide-eyed. She was wearing a short black dress that clung to her every curve and was held up by the tiniest straps. He had always viewed Elle as attractive but standing in front of him right now she looked absolutely breathtaking.

"I haven't worn this dress in a while," she spoke, breaking him out of his trance. "But I figured that it suited the occasion."

"Well it's a great dress." He sounded like the furthest thing from a genius. He was inarticulately repeating the word great and he was inconspicuously staring at every inch of Elle's body.

"Thank you." She reached forward and undid the top button of his shirt. "That's better." He certainly looked different but it was definitely a positive change. He looked…kind of hot, if she was being completely honest with herself.

He cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. "So, you're ready to go?"

She nodded, "Yeah, one second, just let me grab my shoes." She walked towards her suitcase and pulled out a pair of black stiletto heels. She slipped them on and turned back towards Reid. "Okay, now I'm ready to go," she smiled.

"Wow, th-those shoes," he stammered.

"Are great?" She teased.

He blushed in embarrassment and whispered, "Yeah."

She laughed at his appealing reaction before asking, "Will I need a jacket?" He shook his head for no. "Okay then let's go."

* * *

They took a taxi cab to Reid's old high school and Elle watched as his right knee bounced nervously. He was incredibly anxious and she couldn't judge him. After all she had yet to face her peers from high school and she was older then him. She placed a hand on his leg as the cab came to a stop. "Relax," she smiled encouragingly. He gave her a feeble smile in response.

Reid quickly hopped out of the car and gentlemanly helped Elle out. She smiled to herself; he always did that, even when they were on cases.

The cab sped away but Reid remained rooted to the same spot on the pavement and he hadn't released her hand. He stared at the main entrance of the building that he had loved because of the extensive collection of interesting books in their library and the very well stocked chemistry lab where he had performed countless experiments. But it was also the place he had dreaded going to every morning because of the bullies six years older than him who walked the halls. He took a deep breath and squeezed Elle's hand. "Let's go in there," he stated determinedly.

Elle smiled at the tone of his voice, he actually sounded confident. He continued to hold her hand as he led her through the main entrance of the high school and down hallways lined with lockers until they reached the gymnasium. It looked just like any other public high school in America, like the one she had attended in Brooklyn.

Reid scanned the gym quickly. The decorations were tacky streamers, balloons and blown up pictures from his senior yearbook. He cringed when he realized that the stereo system was playing the popular music from 1993. Most of the people in the room were standing and making idle chatter while they scrutinized others from a far, but some were sat at tables engaged in genuine conversation. He turned towards Elle and smiled. "There's an open bar."

"Awesome," she breathed. If she was going to be civil for the whole night in this atmosphere then she would definitely need a drink.

On their way to the bar, a face that they both recognized approached them. "Spencer!" Parker Dunley shouted excitedly. He enveloped Reid in an awkward handshake meets hug that was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that he still clutched Elle's hand. "I didn't think that you would come to this thing, and with a date," he added after a pause.

"This is Elle," Reid introduced.

"Yeah," Parker smiled, "I recognized you from LA, nice to formally meet you."

Elle smiled and slipped her hand out of Reid's so that she could shake Parker's. "Nice to meet you too, outside of an investigation," she laughed. The only interaction that she had had with Parker Dunley during the Lila Archer stalker case was the brief appearance that she, Gideon, and Morgan had made at his gallery when he was considered a suspect.

"We're going to go to the bar," Reid announced. "We'll be back." He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the bar. "What would you like?" He asked politely.

"Vodka and Seven-up," she answered with a small grin. Spencer Reid was a great date.

Reid caught the young male bartender's attention and order Elle's drink along with a glass of wine for himself. He discreetly looked down at Elle while he waited for their drinks. She was wearing more makeup then she did at work and her long, dark hair was perfectly straight, which was something else that she usually didn't do for work. "You look really pretty tonight," he blurted out.

"Thanks, and you look hot," she smiled. "And I'm not just saying that." He nodded and smiled back at her. He knew that she wasn't, she was too honest for that. They grabbed their drinks off of the bar and headed back towards Parker.

For the next while, Reid had actually lost track of the time as he and Elle sat down and chatted with Park Dunley as well as someone else that Reid was very pleased to see, Colin Sinclair. Colin had been a gangly, acne ridden teenager who had taken Reid under his wing when he first entered high school. Colin had loved science and chess almost as much as he did and it was nice to see that he was now a successful research scientist at MIT.

Elle was as witty and clever as ever and seeing how at ease she was reassured him as well. He enjoyed the calming effect that she had on him. He was very conversational; he had yet to go on a rant tonight, and his self-confidence had risen. He loved the looks that Colin continued to shoot him whenever Elle would thread her fingers through his or run her hand along his forearm. He sat smiling smugly while he told some of their more humorous BAU stories.

"I'm going to get another drink," she whispered. "Do you want anything?"

"I'll have another glass of wine."

"Okay, be right back," she smiled.

Elle got up from the table and he unashamedly watched her walk away. Her legs looked like they went on for miles in those heels.

"She's smokin'," Parker commented and Colin nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, she's great," Reid gushed. He realized that the amount of alcohol that he had so far tonight was also helping his confidence. The boyish grin that he was sporting left his face as he saw an unfortunately familiar individual slide up to Elle at the bar. "Is that Jesse Bradshaw?"

Colin nodded again, "Yup, that's the asshole. Totally unfair isn't it? That he's still as good-looking today as he was in high school. If there was karma he'd be fat and bald."

Jesse Bradshaw was the reason that he had hated high school. He was the stereotypical Homecoming King; captain of the football team, boyfriend of the head cheerleader and prettiest girl at school, physically attractive, and the biggest bully in the whole school. Reid gritted his teeth in annoyance. He had taken in Colin's words but he was focused on the scene unfolding at the bar.

Elle had just ordered their drinks when she saw someone move to stand next to her out of her peripheral vision. She noticed that he was making eyes at her but she was doing a fine job of ignoring him. He had a bright, wide smile and perfect hair. He looked like a jerk. She sighed inwardly when he finally spoke. "Hey beautiful, I would have certainly remembered going to high school with you."

Elle scoffed before muttering, "Yeah I'm sure." She was just as unrecognizable from her high school yearbooks as Reid was and her old classmates certainly wouldn't be able to pick her out of a line-up now. She turned her head towards him and got her first real look at the man who was hitting on her. He was tall, well built, classically handsome, and totally not her type. "Yeah I didn't go to high school here," she finally answered him.

"So who are you here with?"

"Spencer Reid," she answered with a large smile. His reaction was exactly what she had expected, he looked bewildered.

"Really?" He laughed.

"Yeah," she replied as she rolled her eyes.

"So what's your name?" He questioned with a smile back on his face.

Wow, he was resuming his line of flirtatious questioning like she hadn't just announced that she was here as a date. Well, she would play along for now.

Reid watched as Jesse scooted closer to Elle and spoke again. Her body language was off-putting but of course Jesse didn't notice that, the guy had barely passed grade nine. "Okay, I'm going over there!" The alcohol was also making him brave apparently. He stood up and tucked his hair behind his ear before striding towards the bar. He slipped in behind Elle and wrapped an arm around her waist so that his hand splayed across her stomach. "Hey," he simply whispered.

Elle smirked and placed her hand over his. She liked the feeling of Reid's hand on her; she could feel the heat from his palm through her dress. "Hey," she whispered back as she looked up at him.

Up until this point Reid had pretended to not see Jesse looking at him and now he was going to pretend to not remember him. "Hey…um…"

"Jesse," the man replied annoyed.

"Yeah," Reid chuckled, "Jesse. I see that you've met my girlfriend." He had absolutely no idea why he had explicitly used that term, he blamed it on the wine, but he tried not to look surprised by himself.

"Yeah, we were just talking," he explained awkwardly. After a moment of silence, Jesse grabbed his drink off of the bar and walked in the opposite direction after mumbling something about how nice it was to catch up.

Elle spun around in his arms so that they faced each other. "That was brilliant," she laughed, "what an idiot."

He laughed along with her; he was exceptionally pleased that she wasn't mad at him for invading her personal space and for calling her his girlfriend. "Yeah he is an idiot," he agreed. "Captain of the football team and he picked on me everyday."

She smiled up at him considerately. "It's all history." She supportively rubbed his arm before laughing again. "Besides he's clearly a loser now. You wouldn't believe the things he said to me." She cringed and took a sip of her drink that was sitting in front of her.

"Like what?" He asked curiously.

"Well he asked me what I did for living, so I told him and then he asked if I was carrying my gun and if so, could he see it." She arched one of her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side to emphasis her point.

Reid's eyes widened. In that dress the only place that she could be carrying her gun would be…oh! "Wow," he breathed, "a charmer."

"Exactly," Elle chuckled.

After another hour or so, Elle and Reid returned to their hotel. He smiled brightly as she giggled uncontrollably into his side; apparently being unable to get their room key to work on the first try was hilarious. They had both had a fair amount to drink. When he finally managed to get the door open, she fell onto Reid's bed. She groaned as she took off her shoes. "My feet are killing me."

"Foot rub?" He offered with a grin.

"Yeah," she responded immediately. She was not about to pass up a free foot massage, especially with his long fingers. She moved backwards until she was resting against the mountain of pillows that Reid had assembled. He sat down on the bed and pulled her feet into his lap. His digits expertly worked the arch of her foot and she moaned loudly. Her eyes locked with his and she could see that his normally chocolate brown eyes had turned very dark. "Hey Reid," she said.

"Yeah?" He answered. Her voice had taken on a deeper tone and it was awfully sexy.

"Can I tell you something?" He nodded. "If we didn't work together and if we weren't friends, I'd be all over you right now."

He could tell that she wasn't teasing; she was serious. "I was thinking the same thing," he groaned. He was only a man after all. "But your friendship means a lot to me," he stated with a small frown.

She pulled her feet out of his lap and crawled towards him. "It means a lot to me too," she whispered before giving him an innocent kiss on the cheek. "I had a great time tonight Reid."

"Me too," he smiled. "Thanks so much for coming with me."

"Anytime," she grinned. She hopped off of the bed and wobbled slightly before steadying herself. "Now I need to find a way to get out of this dress," she laughed.

"You know we could call off our friendship right now and I could help you with that."

Elle looked down at him in shock before she burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Spencer Reid just made a joke." He shrugged sheepishly with a smile on his face. "I'm telling Garcia when we get back."

"She's going to have a field day," he chuckled.

"I'm going to get ready for bed." She grabbed her old, baggy t-shirt that she had slept in last night off of the bed and headed into the bathroom. It was too hot for shorts.

She returned to the room after changing her clothes, putting her hair up into a messy ponytail, scrubbing the makeup off of her face, and brushing her teeth. She saw Reid still sitting on his bed but he had changed his clothes as well and was now wearing plaid pyjama pants and a white t-shirt.

"Water?" He asked as he held a bottle of water out to her.

"Good idea," she smiled as she accepted his gift. She twisted the cap off of the bottle and took a large gulp of water. She did not want to wake up tomorrow morning hung-over; they had a flight to catch at noon. "Goodnight Reid," she said as she slipped into her bed.

"Goodnight," he replied happily before he turned out the lights in their room. He felt really good about himself and he knew that it wasn't because of the alcohol.

* * *

When Elle walked into the BAU bullpen on Monday morning, Morgan and Reid were already at their desks. "Good morning guys."

"Good morning Elle," Morgan grumbled.

She looked at Reid curiously as she sat down in her chair. "What's up with him?" She asked laughing.

"He may or may not be in a sour mood because I may or may not have revealed your true relationship status," Reid answered shyly.

"Reid! You're such a big mouth!" She yelled teasingly.

He shrugged as a fierce blush spread across his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No," she shook her head. "It's totally worth it to see him sulk," she said as she gestured at Morgan.

"So I was wrong, big deal," Morgan responded.

"Real mature Derek," Elle laughed.

Morgan ignored her comment and focused on his paperwork. Elle looked across her desk at Reid and the two of them snickered quietly at his behaviour. Elle was pleased to see that some of the confidence that she had seen in Reid in Las Vegas was carrying over into the rest of his life, and she was thrilled to know that she had brought that out in him. He meant a lot to her and it was nice to see him acting so secure with himself. She smiled to herself as she grabbed the first file off the top of the pile on her desk. A blue Post-It note stuck to the cover caught her attention. In Reid's sloppy handwriting were the words:

_Thanks again for a great weekend._

She found her own stack of Post-It notes and scrawled a quick message. She reached forward and stuck it on his side of the glass barrier that separated their desks. Her message was short, simple, and direct. _My pleasure._

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and I hope that you will take the time to send me a review! :) And if you haven't signed the Criminal Minds petition then do it now! We need our ladies!**


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